Non-entangling device for flags.



0. K. NEWELL.

NON-ENTANGLING DEVICE FOR FLAGS.

APPLICATION FILED 0m. 20. I911.

1,298,550. Patenfed Mar. 25,1919.

0/75 lVewe a W m, flew? 5m M.

OTIS K. NEWELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

NON-ENTANGLING DEVICE FOR FLAGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Application filed October 20, 1917. Serial No. 197,695.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTIS K. NEwELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at 1612 Arch street, Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Non-Entangling Devices for Flags, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to flags and banners and has for an object to provide a flag, banner or other similar device formed and constructed to prevent the body or material of the flag or banner from furling or wrapping itself around the pole or other supporting element, without detracting from the appearance of the flag While it is waving in the wind.

The invention comprehends among features the provision of a simple device which may be'separately provided to be attached to a made flag or banner, or be made to form apart thereof when the flag or banner is constructed, said device being'so arranged with respect to the body of the flag that it will prevent the latter from wrapping itself around a flag pole, and will retain the flag in proper position so that it will hang in the intended manner and wave gracefully in the breeze.

I am aware of several devices that have been employed heretofore in an endeavor to solve the problem of having a flag wave gracefully in the wind without wrapping itself around the pole or support, and with out detracting from the appearance of the decoration, but these devices in most part do not prevent the wrapping of the flag around the support and furthermore they are invariably exterior attachments which, when applied to the flag decidedly detract from its beauty and do not permit the flag to wave in graceful folds, moreover, they result in a stiff and artificial waving of the flag and further cause the flag to wear out quicker by being clipped or clamped to edges of the flag in a manner which will cause the latter to fray along the edges.

My invention, although particularly adapted to flags or decorations that are horizontally suspended, insures a proper display of the flag on calm days when there is no wind, and on days when the wind is blowing the invention insures a proper waving of the flag in graceful folds without any stifiness or strained appearance, and prevents the flag from wrapping itself around its immediate support.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my form of flag construction as applied, parts being broken away to disclose the underlying structure.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view, taken through the lower portion of the flag shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary face view of the flag with parts broken away to disclose a slightly modified form of the invention.

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary elevation of still another modified form of the invention, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line a a'in Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the views, the numeral 10 indicates the usual flag pole supported in a substantially horizontal position and provided with the usual flag halyard 11 to which is secured the upper edge of a horizontallyhung flag 12. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the lower edge 13 of the flag 12 is overlapped to form a pocket 14 in which is preferably arranged a strip of material such as a light weight canvas, indicated by the numeral 15, said strip forming a liner for the pocket. The pocket 14 is filled with a quantity of small shot 16 as clearly shown, and the amount and weight of the shot arranged in the pocket is entirely dependent upon the size of the particular flag, so that a flag equipped with the de scribed device will not be too heavily weighted, and it will be clear that the liner for the pocket will minimize the wear of the material of the flag. Attention is particularly directed to two important advanta es, one of which is that a flag having a poc ct substantially filled with shot as described, aside from being prevented from wrapping around the pole, can be readily folded to be packed away when the flag is removed from the pole by reason of the fact that the shot acting in the nature of ball bearings, will readily roll one upon the other, and further, that by having the pocket formed as mentioned, the weight or shot will be entirely concealed from the observer and in fact the pocket will appear and in fact, isa continuation of the flag material itself so that the strips of the flag continued around the pocket will not detract from the beauty ofthe 'flag when it is waving in the breeze.

In Fig. 3 I show a slightly modified form of my invention and in which instead of having-a multitude of-small shot in the pocket 14, the pocket is filled with a single row of larger shot with one shot arranged adjacent to the other so that the shot can roll upon each other when the flag is folded and packed away, each shot being of substantially the width of the pocket,,that is to say the diame terofeach shot being substantially equal to the width of the pocket;

' In Figs. 4L and 5 I disclose still another modified form of my invention and in which instance, instead of having the pocket formed asfan integral part ofthe flag, the pocket,in-

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ture which will permitthe flag to wave. freely and gracefully prevent the flag from wrapping itself around the supporting flag pole; permit the flag 'tobe' folded up in the usual manner when it is removed from the flag pole and stored away; prevent the lower or free edge of the flag that is usually whipped in the breeze from becoming frayedjor ragged,

q and in conclusion, providingan arrangement which will not detract from the appearance of the flag, and which in the preferred form of my arrangementforms an integral-part'of the flag. In the modified form of'my invention the, attached pocket may be of a plain color but the material may also be imprinted with strips to form a continuation of the strips of the flag.

I claim; a The combination with a flag adapted for sus ension from a horizontal support, of'a poo (ct secured upon the lower free edge thereof, and a plurality of spherical weights disposed within said pocket and freely movable in respect to one another whereby said lower free edge of the flag will be prevented from tangling about the support to which it is secured while permitting flexibility for wavingaction or folding.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature. 011$ K. NEWELL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington,,D. 0. 

